Thursday, February 28, 2019

Small Pitched for the Ryder Cup, Wie Injured Again, Finau's Bad Card Made Good

Steve Stricker, if you’re reading this, it’s time to make a statement. It’s time to strengthen your staff for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. It’s time to name Illinois coach Mike Small an assistant captain.
It would not only be an unprecedented move, but it would be the right one.

I understand where Mr. Romine and Mr. Small are coming from. The U.S. team has struggled with team unity through recent years. Or, at least, that's been the storyline. Europe always seems to have more team energy and for whatever reason, the U.S. thinks that finding a way to add this level of unity to their side would improve their chances at victory.
I'm a bit skeptical, but only because I don't think that unity in itself is the difference maker. What's really brought Team Europe together is that the U.S. squad has been consistently seen as the dragon to be defeated. The U.S. team, particularly in last year's matches, looked to be unbeatable. The U.S. entered the week fearing the loss. The Europeans entered the week fighting for the win. That makes a huge mental difference in how players approach the matches.

Would Mr. Small's experience prove helpful in the room for the Americans? I see no reason why his perspective would hurt. I just don't know if it will be a difference maker.

Playing in just her second event of 2019 at the HSBC Women's World Championship, Wie was 10 over through 14 holes—which included a double at the eighth and a triple at the ninth—when she withdrew from the tournament. Wie cited a recurring hand injury as the reason for the WD; she fractured her right hand, along with suffering a neck injury, in a minor car wreck before the 2017 season.

I was lucky enough to follow Michelle Wie from inside the ropes in 2003 as she won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links at the age of 14. It was her age and the power in her game that made the headlines. She was destined to be women's golf's answer to Tiger Woods. She has gone on to have a good career but never matching the dreams she caused back then.

I've always respected Wie and her willingness to seemingly sacrifice her golf to pursue her education and other outside interests. She never allowed golf to become the defining part of her life no matter how much we, as golf fans, may have wanted her to do just that.

Her career has also been defined by injury, unfortunately. Here's hoping that Wie can recover from this latest setback and make the most out of whatever she chooses to do next, hopefully including golf.

Finau signed for an opening-round 74 at Mexico City’s Club de Golf Chapultepec. Then on Friday, his score was changed to a 73 due to miscommunication with a rules official.

'I took it to the committee and they were torn,' (PGA Tour Official) Young said to the AP. 'I felt strongly there should be no penalty based on my miscommunication. We called the USGA, gave them all the details and they agreed it was a committee error.'

Two things come to mind with this situation. First, this is clearly the right thing to do even if some may argue that a wrong card is a wrong card. Second, and more importantly, the rules of golf continue to be overly complicated.